South Carolina basketball: why the Gamecocks will be better next season
By Jacob Elsey
STABILITY
This may be the most overlooked reason as to why the Gamecocks will be better in 2021. It’s been a season, and offseason, of change and unknowing in Columbia after last year’s debacle. The year was disrupted by COVID, which struck their head coach twice in six months. It also forced the team to halt play and practice for more than a month, keeping players and staff off schedule through mid January.
When the team finally saw the floor for SEC play, they were shorthanded, often relying on seven players or less to compete against league foes. Inconsistency and tired legs killed the Gamecocks down the stretch, and it was evident that confidence was lacking by the last month of the season. The team looked ready to pack things in, losing each of their last seven games by 15 points or more.
When the offseason rolled around, there was mass exodus of the roster, and instability on the coaching staff. Players weren’t sure who their teammates or coaches would be.
Fast forward to late April, and things are much more solid. The transfer additions have already made themselves at home, replacing, and upgrading in many cases, the players that left in the Spring. Coach Martin received a two-year extension, ensuring that he’d be back on the sidelines for a 10th year in Columbia. Martin also expects the two NBA opt outs, Bryant and Couisnard, to be back with the program next season, which will further solidify the lineup.
The 2020 season was hard on college basketball programs across the board, but none were hit harder than South Carolina. The upcoming year should run much more smoothly as COVID protocols continue to improve. It’s safe to assume the Gamecocks won’t miss an entire month of action in the 2021 campaign, and it will be fun to see this team play at full strength with its newly recharged roster.